Meet and Greet: Annika Albrecht

It’s time for another GWT Meet and Greet, your opportunity to get to know a member of the Girls Who Travel community a little better! This week, we’re so excited to introduce you to Annika Albrecht, one of the earliest members of Girls Who Travel.

What’s your favorite place that you’ve ever traveled to? Why?

Vilnius, Lithuania. I’ve been there three times and it never gets old (clearly this qualifies me as the resident expert on Vilnius!). It’s such an underrated part of Europe with a rich language and a dark, equally rich history. For you language nerds, if you’re curious what Proto-Indo European may have sounded like, listen to a working class Lithuanian speak. For you dessert folks, meduolis is the best cake you’ll ever get your fork on and I’m willing to fight you over that statement. For the history nerds, check out the KGB Museum and the former Vilnius ghetto.

What is your travel style? How would you describe it?

Some strange mixture of sloppy and planned. I pack very light, but toss in clothes and toiletries haphazardly. I like having plane tickets and accommodation booked ahead of time, but it drives me up the wall when people have every single minute planned for activities. That’s definitely not me. I like grabbing a local bite and taking a long stroll. On more than one occasion, this has led me to meeting strangers and partying spontaneously. I travel solo almost exclusively which makes spontaneity much easier.

How does traveling affect your friendships in general?

It didn’t seem to affect my friendships for the most part; most of my friends have been supportive, but a couple guys couldn’t seem to accept that I was able to fund my travels on my own. Eye roll. There are times when I miss my friends or my boyfriend, but then I remember how exhausting other people are and I’m all good. Have a meal whenever I want? Yep. Hog the entire hotel room bed, sheets twisted around me and all? Absolutely. Doing my business with the bathroom door open and no one says a thing?! You bet your ass.